Birds are back at Greenwich Harbor for the backyard count

Staff reportsFebruary 15, 2019

GREENWICH — Naturalists from Greenwich Audubon hit the shore Friday to count birds — both on land and on the water — in Greenwich Harbor as part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Ducks, geese, loons and gulls are some of the birds that spend the winter on Long Island Sound.

Participants will submit a checklist of birds to the national bird count website at gbbc.birdcount.org.

Learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count at an introductory session at the Greenwich Library from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday. Ted Gilman, senior naturalist at the Audubon Center in Greenwich, will introduce attendees to some of the most common winter birds in the area. He will also explain how to can count these birds this weekend and become part of the Citizen Science team through the Cornell University bird network.

All participants will receive a color chart of common backyard birds and can receive instruction on how to set up a free eBird account with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to keep track of your bird sightings this weekend and throughout the year at home and during your travels.

This is a free event; all ages are welcome.

The birding events will continue Saturday afternoon at the Audubon Center in Greenwich. Participants can learn to identify and count backyard songbirds at the center’s bird feeders. Attendees can also take a brief walk through the Apple Orchard to find birds outside.

The event will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at 613 Riversville Road. All ages are welcome, and the cost is $5 for members, $8 for nonmembers. RSVP is appreciated to Ryan MacLean at rmaclean@audubon.org.